Getting to Today: the Eight Greatest Achievements in Web Browser History

Today we have a plethora of web browsers to retrieve, translate and present our online information to us. Whether it is Chrome, Explorer, Firefox, Opera or Safari – each unique in its appearance and features – we are spoiled for browsing options. But, it wasn’t always like this.

1) ARPANET, 1969
This was the earliest packet switching network, replacing circuit switching as the basis for data communications. ARPANET consisted of various university computers linked together, to create what, for twenty years, was the (only) Internet.
2) WorldWideWeb, 1991
The World Wide Web replaced ARPANET in 1990, and in 1991, its first browser was invented: the WorldWideWeb, later renamed Nexus. At the time of its invention, this was the only way to view the Internet.
3) Mosaic, 1993
The simplified and streamlined Mosaic, which was the first browser capable of displaying text and image together, quickly replaced its WorldWideWeb predecessor in terms of popularity. This freely-available browser spurred the Internet revolution of the 1990s.
4) Opera, 1994
While other browsers have disappeared, Opera has instead expanded to include an estimated 300 million global users to date. What sets Opera apart from its predecessors is its continuity.
5) Netscape Navigator 3, 1996
It was this third, user-friendly version of Netscape Navigator that really transformed the Internet’s popularity, becoming the go-to option for 75% of Internet surfers.
6) Internet Explorer 3, 1996
Consolidated with Windows and equipped with numerous trendy features, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer quickly became the preferred option, taking the overwhelming majority of the market share until 2010.
7) Firefox 1.0, 2004
As the first realistic “competition” to Internet Explorer, Firefox spurred today’s differentiated approach to browsing the Web.
8) Google Chrome, 2008
Although new to the market, Chrome may soon replace all of its predecessors in terms of features, trendiness and popularity. Simple, speedy and sporting countless innovative features, Google Chrome may very well represent the future of web browsing.